E.T. The Extra Terrestrial is, as indicated above, a film that defines my childhood.  I also feel it is one of the greatest films of all time.  While I am not so presumptuous as to believe that the film is going to play as well in 2012 to younger viewers as it did to my 8-year old self in 1982, I nonetheless find it to be a classic that everyone, young and old, should watch at least once.  In an article at Awardscircuit.com this past summer, the staff were asked to identify and talk about their individual selections of the 10 best films of all time.  E.T. ranked #5 on my list.

From my 10 Greatest Films Of All Time article in July 2012:

“The film that made me hate Gandhi. The Ben Kingsley version anyway. In my mind, that stupid Gandhi guy made my first ever Academy Awards viewing experience a nightmare. I cried when E.T. was not named Best Picture and some stupid movie with a guy wearing a sheet was supposedly better. While time and knowledge has allowed me to make a complete 360 on Mahatma Gandhi as a person, and while I am firmly a Ben Kingsley fan, I still hold Sir Richard Attenborough’s esteemed Best Picture winner at more than an arms length. As I write this, I’m kinda hating that Gandhi guy all over again.

E.T. was my first and I loved this film more than anything else. Born in 1974, I did not experience Star Wars on the big screen as we did not have much money to spend even then at the movies, so E.T. was my Star Wars or Toy Story or Titanic or Avatar or even The Avengers. For me, I believed from the first moment to the last. I wanted to be Elliott, I wanted to have this incredible friend show up in my cornfield (I didn’t have a cornfield by the way) and I wanted to keep a secret like this. This film spoke to me, and in all honesty, few films have spoke to me in the same way. E.T. is a film that I think has a place in cinematic history and yet, I find people overlook it as one of those films that parents pull out and share with their children.

There is a magic that Steven Spielberg finds here that few films can ever hope to achieve. This is transformative filmmaking and it is next to impossible to not be swept up in the world it offers you. The notion of an imaginary friend or a secret friend that you have all to yourself is a desire of every child growing up and for a time, Elliott, and we, get to experience what that is like. When the film takes a darker turn, panic and fear sets in.  Until the realization washes over us that friendship and moments shared can last a lifetime, no matter the distance, and E.T. brings up emotions no one truly can be ready for. E.T. strikes a perfect balance of everything we want our movies to be and I love it still as much today as I did as an 8 year old boy eating his first container of movie theater popcorn.”  Family/Science-Fiction, PG, 137 Mins, Dir: Steven Spielberg.

A polarizing and oft-debated science-fiction epic, Prometheus gets a full-on treatment for its home video unveiling.  The 4-Disc 3D Blu-Ray combo pack features a staggering amount of special features and vignettes, including nearly 40 minutes of extended, alternate, and deleted scenes.  A large number of making of segments and interviews also provide a great deal of insight into why it took so long to bring Prometheus to the big screen.  Personally, I found the film impressive, precocious, and almost too ambiguous for its own good.  

From my ★★★1/2 theatrical review of June 8, 2012:

“There is very little to balk at in terms of how the film looks, sounds, and feels. Ridley Scott’s film is stellar from a technical standpoint, with flawless melding of CGI and live action effects and beautiful and impressive art direction and ship design. Prometheus is captivating to watch, easy to get lost in, and the score by Marc Streitenfeld is among the finest of the year thus far.

Where Prometheus misses the mark in moving beyond an entertaining and riveting popcorn film is a weak screenplay that raises more questions than it needs to about humanity, creationism, our place in the world and so on. Perhaps there are plans for a Prometheus 2, all but a certainty based on the way the film concludes, but until we have that follow up, we have this and the first hour especially is slow and strangely lacking any drive or passion. A source of great controversy, the screenplay was largely torn apart by Ridley Scott and Damon Lindelof (Star Trek, “Lost” ) was brought in to orchestrate a significant rewrite. Never boring, but out of balance from the first hour to the second, Prometheus plays a bit of a shell game with its entire premise and alongside stout and impressive ideas rest incomplete and abandoned thoughts.

Yet at the end of the day, Prometheus soars on how much you can take with all of this. There is something here for everyone, as they say. A couple of gory moments will appease the horror fans, those who love suspense/thrillers and science-fiction will be taken by the premise and the second half of the film. Those who like strong heroines will warm to and embrace Noomi Rapace I think, and nostalgic science-fiction fans will spot ties to their beloved Alien franchise and a handful of other science-fiction works they have undoubtedly seen.” Science-Fiction, R, 124 Mins, Dir: Ridley Scott.

Nominated for Best Animated Feature Film this year, the gorgeous hand-drawn French film A Cat In Paris arrives on home video after a short theatrical run this year, following February’s Oscars.  Along with Chico & Rita, which arrived on home video two weeks ago, A Cat In Paris received some backlash for landing an Oscar nod, since the film was something no one had ever seen or heard of.  Watching the film, it is very easy to see why the animation branch feted it with a nomination.  Beautifully drawn and incorporating a children’s storybook feel, A Cat In Paris looks unique and stands apart from the now-common CGI and big-budget look and tone of most animated film releases.  The story, a wondrous and Grimm-style fairy tale, centers on a cat, living a double-life as a cat burglar’s assistant, coming to the aid of a father-less little girl named Zoe.  Directors Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol deliver a tightly paced and intoxicating film that features both the original French/subtitled version of the film, along with a strong English language overdub with vocal work from Marcia Gay Harden and Anjelica Huston, among others.  This is a terrific film, I highly recommend it. Family/Animation, PG, 62 Mins, Dir: Jean-Loup Felicioli, Alain Gagnol.

After its vaunted Broadway run, all eyes were focused on Rock Of Ages as being a breakout success-in-waiting this summer.  Somewhere, somehow things went terribly wrong and other than Tom Cruise receiving great reviews as burned out rocker Stacee Jaxx, all of the excitement was diffused to slightly less than a murmur.  Rock Of Ages is one rambunctious, star-laden affair, featuring a cast including Julianne Hough, Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin, Bryan Cranston, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mary J. Blige, Cruise, Paul Giamatti, and Diego Boneta, working alongside Hough in the lead roles.  Full of music, critics grew weary of its 123 minute running time and many complained that the magic of the Broadway show was completely lost with director Adam Shankman’s hyper-stylish and overwrought direction.  Haven’t seen it, but will let you know my thoughts when I get a look. Comedy/Musical, PG-13, 123 mins, Dir: Adam Shankman.

Some liked the gothic wondering of what Edgar Allen Poe’s last days were like, but many would just as soon forget they ever saw The Raven.  Riddled with production delays and problems, John Cusack steps into the role of the iconic poet and author, and director James McTeigue (V For Vendetta, Ninja Assassin) found praise for his film’s look, but little else.  The story centers around a detective working with Poe to help solve the heinous crimes of a mass murderer, who naturally turns his focus on Poe’s girlfriend (Alice Eve).  I will likely see this, but I am not rushing around to make the time.  Too many people I know and trust dismissed it straightaway, so it will likely sit deep in the pile.  Then again, I have huge affection for V For Vendetta and never saw Ninja Assassin.  Hmmm…what to do, what to do, what to do. Horror, R, 110 mins, Dir: James McTeigue.